Fair Food and More at the South Florida Fair

It's that time of the year when the South Florida Fair comes to town, bringing with it Ferris wheels, cows, baking contests, shows, and monster trucks.

All that entertainment is great, but let's face it -- you don't go to the fair for rodeo shows or to win a giant SpongeBob SquarePants. You don't even go to see the world's smallest woman or the Mongolian death worm on display (yes, there is a Mongolian death worm on display, and no, it's not worth the two bucks to see it). You go for the food!

The smells of grease and fried... well... everything that mingle with the sugary scents of cotton candy and ice cream. You go to the fair to taste your old favorites like kettle corn, hot dogs, and funnel cake and to try new oddities like fried buckeyes, donut burgers, and pork parfaits (yes, I said pork parfaits).

We sent the search party ahead of you and scouted out the best and newest fair treats and novelties for your delight. And while these delectable treats come with calories and fat content aplenty -- relax. The fair comes but once a year. So bring your wallet, your appetite, and your elastic-waist stretch pants and have an extra helping of pork parfait! Oink, oink!

Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, covering the restaurant and bar scene in South Florida. She has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it’s like to wait tables. In a previous life, she appeared off-Broadway and shook many a cocktail as a bartender at venues in South Florida and New York City. When she’s not writing, you can find Doss running some marathon then celebrating at the nearest watering hole.